ISTANBUL

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani met on Friday to discuss the situation in the Gaza Strip, including efforts to achieve a cease-fire, provide humanitarian relief to people in Gaza, and secure civilian safety.

According to the Qatar News Agency (QNA), the summit in Cairo reviewed "developments in the occupied Palestinian territories and joint efforts to stop the aggression against Gaza, reduce the escalation, and introduce urgent humanitarian aid, to ensure the safety of civilians."

They also affirmed the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people "to establish an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, on the basis of the two-state solution."

A statement issued by the Egyptian Presidency said both leaders rejected any attempt to obliterate the Palestinian cause and any attempt to forcibly transfer Palestinians from Gaza in the face of the Israeli bombardment.

Israel has launched relentless air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip – including hospitals, residences, and houses of worship – since a cross-border attack by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas on Oct. 7.

Death toll in Gaza has risen to 11,078, including 4,506 children, 3,027 women, according to the Health Ministry.

The Israeli death toll, meanwhile, is nearly 1,600, according to official figures.

* Writing by Ahmed Asmar